My God, It's Full of Clones

[James McMurray]

Apart from adding the plot device of the item breaking/stolen/otherwise unavailable or a group consensus that you don't want your campaign turning into clone wars, there's practically nothing you can do to prevent a mirror of opposition from getting out of hand.

 

[Nail]

When going through a published high-level adventure (+18th), we (the PCs) took everything. I mean it: everything! Even those silly plot devices, like a Mirror of Opposition. If it was "nailed down", that just meant it took longer to take it. By the time we were done with that module, the loot we had was incredible......and far exceeded the "usual per-level wealth" we were supposed to get.

Lesson learned: "Don't put a something in an adventure unless you want the PCs to take it."

 

[jensun]

When going through a published high-level adventure (+18th), we (the PCs) took everything. I mean it: everything! Even those silly plot devices, like a Mirror of Opposition. If it was "nailed down", that just meant it took longer to take it. By the time we were done with that module, the loot we had was incredible......and far exceeded the "usual per-level wealth" we were supposed to get.

Lesson learned: "Don't put a something in an adventure unless you want the PCs to take it."

The classicly cited abuse for this is to take a very stupid or dominated goblin, put a ring of wishes in its pocket, hold it in front of the mirror, take the duplicate ring from the copy while ignoring its feeble attacks and make your wishes.

Rinse and repeat as required.

Really, anything that duplicates magic items just shouldnt exist. The same goes for Astral Projection. Zeroxing gear or PC's never ends well for your game.

 

[pawsplay]

The classicly cited abuse for this is to take a very stupid or dominated goblin, put a ring of wishes in its pocket, hold it in front of the mirror, take the duplicate ring from the copy while ignoring its feeble attacks and make your wishes.

Rinse and repeat as required.

Really, anything that duplicates magic items just shouldnt exist. The same goes for Astral Projection. Zeroxing gear or PC's never ends well for your game.

"We've missed you, Mister Anderson."

 

[pawsplay]

The DM?

Player: I take down the mirror.
DM: No, you don't.

Like that? Or were you thinking more in a "rocks fall, everyone dies" kind of vein?

 

[James McMurray]

Have the mirror made of tissue paper. The slightest attempt to take it down destroys it.

Or have the mirror work so that once you've defeated your copy you cannot touch the mirror, it instead becomes a portal to the plane of mirrors.

Or any of countless other means of making sure that its materials cost during creation contains a little bit of plotdevicium. Other than that: don't include it or expect it to go crazy.

 

[pawsplay]

Have the mirror made of tissue paper. The slightest attempt to take it down destroys it.

A tissue paper mirror? Anyway, you could disintegrate the wall behind it. Or teleport it.

Or have the mirror work so that once you've defeated your copy you cannot touch the mirror, it instead becomes a portal to the plane of mirrors.

That's not a bad idea, but it is not the description of the named item.

Or any of countless other means of making sure that its materials cost during creation contains a little bit of plotdevicium. Other than that: don't include it or expect it to go crazy.

And you'll have to ban PCs from crafting one.

 

[Nail]

Player: I take down the mirror.
DM: No, you don't.

Like that? Or were you thinking more in a "rocks fall, everyone dies" kind of vein?

I've seen the "rocks fall, everyone dies" happen; it's not pretty. ..And as a solution, the "no you don't" method falls flat. If you put something in an adventure, you'd better expect the PCs to try to use/take it.

 

[Nail]

A tissue paper mirror? Anyway, you could disintegrate the wall behind it. Or teleport it.

FWIW, as PCs confronted by a valuable mirror (Mirror of Lifetrapping), we just disintegrated the area around the mirror, while holding it in place.

If DMs can be clever, so can players.

 

[Someone]

But, won't the duplicate that appears in the front of the mirror of opposition automatically reflect on the mirror? The second duplicate would have your own alingment and will try to kill the first duplicate. Up to other two duplicates should also appear (since the mirror thankfully has a daily limit) and duplicate D will try to kill duplicate C, who in turn is trying to kill B, who's trying to kill duplicate A, in turn trying to make you kick the bucket.